With Steve’s 70th birthday coming up this week, we decided to put this long weekend to good use by booking a night at the Kimpton Seafire Resort. It was a great decision! The Kimpton Seafire opened in November of 2016 and is at present the tallest resort along the iconic Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Locals protested bitterly at the time at the height and scale of the hotel, but now that the dust has settled one wonders what the fuss was all about.

The grounds have been tastefully designed around the pool with plenty of shade and a generous amount of beachfront. Unusual for Cayman, there is even a boardwalk for strolling along the beach to nearby Callico Jacks on the one side and Tikki Beach Bar on the other. The drive up to the lobby is lined with Banyan trees, which in years to come will undoubtedly be a feature, and the lobby itself is spacious and the staff most welcoming.

We were upgraded to a junior suite, which came with a well equipped kitchenette and a spacious balcony overlooking one of the world’s great beaches. The bed was soft and the room nicely appointed. The bathroom came with a very deep two person tub, which we put to good use, especially since it has been twelve years since we had a decent bathtub in our rental condos. Soon after we arrived, the staff delivered a lovely birthday wish for Steve.

There was a welcome wine hour from four to six and a coffee bar from six to ten in the morning.  We indulged in a lovely dinner while we watched the sunset. By seven in the morning we were camped out on the beach. The towel service includes lounge chairs and umbrellas and the non motorized watercraft, including small sailing catamarans, were included in the room. Lunch at the shoreside Cocoloba Bar was reasonably priced for Cayman and very tasty. Checkout time is noon, but we lingered for a few hours enjoying the sea and no one seemed to mind.

We have decided that we don’t do this kind of thing enough. The resident rate for hotels in the off-season is one-half to one-quarter what it would be if we were coming in as tourists, and we can easily bring our own snacks and drinks to lower the cost even more. Staying locally saves us a bundle on airfare going anywhere else, and the service and food here is always first-rate. What’s not to like? Staycation is the new travel destination, especially if you already live in the Cayman Islands!